Over the years, a large number of medical instruments have been designed with the intention of aiding physicians in their treatment of patients. One area of medical treatment that is highly dependent on mechanical equipment is the application of various forms of energy to the patient's body. Depending on the course of treatment, a doctor might require one or more of a large number of energy sources, examples being laser, ultrasonic, radiofrequency, microwave, mechanical, and pneumatic.
Each of these energy sources can be quite beneficial to a medical practitioner in his treatment of a patient. However, one of the drawbacks to current art machinery is that a separate machine is required to supply each type of energy. Using separate machines for the delivery of each of these energy types leads to a very high capital expense, as well as creating a storage problem. If the machines are kept in the treatment area, which is of course desirable for convenience of access, the treatment area can easily become quite cluttered, thereby making movement in the area difficult and even potentially dangerous.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide piece of medical equipment that is able to deliver a plurality of energy forms from a single machine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that is modular so that the various energy supply modules are very easily replaced, substituted, and removed for repair.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a computerized control means for the device, and for storage of data relevant to the treatment of the patient.